Hey Let’s Try Some New Stuff

me browsing LuckyScent samples

Carolyn was placing an order for some samples from LuckyScent and asked me if I wanted to throw anything in there so she’d get free shipping … I mean, I was doing her a favor, amirite?!?

Rather than spend hours agonizing over my selection and turning it into A Whole Thing, which I’m perfectly capable of doing, I did a quick pick of four scents that (I think) were on the “new” page that sounded interesting. Let’s see how I did…

Jasmine Freak (Room 1015) was chosen for the name, obviously, because I am, in fact, a jasmine freak. Notes: Mango, black pepper, blackcurrant, sweet orange, Bourbon ylang-ylang, Egyptian jasmine, Indian tuberose, musk, cashmere wood.

Weeelllllll…. it’s nice. It reminds me of that By Kilian (love don’t be shy?) with a bit of a marshmallow-y top and a hint of root beer in the drydown, although less bombshell than the Kilian. But I like my jasmine more unwashed, and this (while certainly potent) isn’t dirty enough, at least on me.

Speaking of By Kilian – Old Fashioned, a 2024 release… can I just say how much I love those on-the-rocks cut glass bottles? I’ve never seen one in real life, I wonder if they’re really that fabulous. “Old Fashioned is a fragrance from another era, a modern refinement in scent, a total take-over of the senses in a Scottish old-fashioned delight.” Notes: wheat absolute, davana, hyper-concentrated cedarwood essence, immortelle, styrax, tolu balm.

For awhile there it felt like Kilian was releasing a scent every month (maybe they still are) and I can live without their lighter, more mass-market offerings. But the brand does layered, liquored depth like nobody else, as befits the heir to the Hennessy cognac makers. Bready, plummy, woodsy deliciousness. Absolutely the wrong choice before heading to the gym (oops!) but perfect on a cold, sunny morning. I wouldn’t say no to a bottle of this or Angels’ Share. Or, you know, both.

(Brandt) London Fog — Did I really ask for this? ::checks nonexistent notes:: huh. Okay then. There’s a poetic paragraph on the Lucky website, conjuring up the smell of the milky beverage. Bergamot, Earl Grey tea, smoky accord, steamed milk, lavender, whipped honey, sandalwood, vanilla absolute, white musk, ambergris. Do I like Earl Grey tea? I do not. In fact I resent it when a restaurant or purveyor contaminates an otherwise pleasant assortment of teas by including Earl Grey, with its overpowering aroma.

Well, this … is not that. I was so flummoxed that I asked Carolyn to take a turn. She hit the nail on the head: it’s very perfume-y, i.e., it doesn’t smell at all like something you’d imbibe. She’s getting smoky sandalwood, mostly, with a drip of honey, if you like that sort of thing. I still have no idea why I ordered it but it’s oddly compelling.

Amouage Lustre – one of their fancy new 30% perfume oil essences, sandalwood chips, custom oakwood barrels, blended by fairies by the light of the full moon, etc. Notes: cardamom, orris, patchouli, sandalwood, cedarwood, benzoin, labdanum, cypriol, styrax, tonka bean, myrrh.

Hey, it’s Amouage, and undeniably gorgeous. But it also smells like what you’d get in the late drydown of a combination of your favorites from the line, if you have any – the Amouage-ade, if you will. Like the Guerlinade, or the way so many Lutens can smell like stewed fruits and woods. However, instead of this single bottle for $540 (!) you could buy four Amouages at online discounters, which is what I’d do given the choice.

Have you tried any of these or scratched an itch for any samples recently, from LuckyScent or elsewhere?

images via Pexels